


Nocturnal

by sanctuary_for_all



Series: (More) Scenes From A Partnership [3]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Relationship, F/M, Feels, Fluff, Romantic Gestures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-07-16 21:42:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7285789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Night could be beautiful, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nocturnal

**Author's Note:**

> If someone had told me a year ago that a rabbit and a fox were going to end up owning my ass, I don't think I would have believed them.

Judy had never been very fond of the dark.

She wasn’t scared of it, like a scattering of her younger brothers and sisters were – even if there were bad guys out there, she’d always been quite sure she could take them on. But rabbit eyesight wasn’t the best in the dark, turning everything into grainy shapes like bad security footage. Even though her hearing and other senses usually made up for the lack, the difference always made it just a little bit harder to relax. The dark meant she had to be more alert than she was in daylight, and unless she was safe in bed she was always a little on edge.

As Nick led them up the darkened stairwell, however, Judy realized that it wasn’t tension she was feeling. She couldn’t see the nuances of his expression that well – there were only emergency lights out here every five floors – but she could hear in his voice how excited he was. He was trying to hide it, of course – this was Nick she was talking about – but she knew him too well not to see it. And Judy didn’t have it in her to be nervous about something Nick was looking forward to this much.

Not, of course, that she couldn’t tease him a little.

“It’s probably good we changed out of our uniforms before breaking and entering,” she said lightly, grinning as she bounced past him to the top of the next set of stairs. “It’ll make it slightly less embarrassing when we get arrested.”

“Hey, the only cop who’s come anywhere _close_ to arresting me is you.” His voice was just as light as hers, full of the warmth that she’d rapidly become dependent on. “Besides, I told you we’re fine. I know a guy.”

“Which is why we’re taking all these stairs in the dark, instead of using the elevators.” Judy didn’t mind – they were both in shape enough to handle it – but Nick generally chose the easier option whenever one was available. In fact, it had become a private joke between them.

_“What can I say, Carrots?” He grinned at her, the conspiratorial one that always meant they were in it together. “After you, every other challenge just seems tame by comparison.”_

Now, though, he just held out his paws. “Hey, you don’t want some poor, hardworking employee to get in trouble just because his bosses aren’t as open-minded as they should be, do you?” Then he bounded up the stairs, moving close enough that his breath tickled her ear fur, and lowered his voice to a murmur. “Besides, maybe I just want to show off my incredible stamina.”

She shivered pleasantly. “Oh, I already have plenty of proof of that." Then he moved away again, tail brushing against hers, and she watched him go with a sigh. Nick was pretty much all nuance, and at night there was too much of a chance she'd miss some of it. “I just wish I could _see_ you better.”

Nick stopped, coming back. “Hey.” He leaned down to press a kiss against the top of her head, paws resting on her shoulders. “You see me too well as it is. Any more and I’d be in trouble.”

The door at the top of the stairs opened onto the roof, which was even darker than the stairwell had been. She reached for Nick’s paw, curling her fingers tight around his, and let him lead the way to the edge of the roof. Meant for taller mammals, it came all the way up to Nick’s armpits and was just barely above her eye level. “A wall,” she teased him. “How charming.”

“The more you mock, the more words you’re gonna have to end up eating when you finally get your furry little tail up here.” She could hear the grin in his voice as he leaned against the wall. “So move.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” She grabbed the top of the ledge, carefully hauling herself up so she could sit on the top. “Really, there should be viewing holes lower down for….”

The words trailed off as her breath disappeared. The city was _incredible_ from up here, a masterpiece of color and lights. Up close the streets were glowing ribbons, the buildings shining like multicolor jewels in the darkness, and as the lights stretched out the buildings became less and less distinct until all she could see were thousands of glowing points of light in the darkness. You could see a lot of stars in the skies above Bunnyburrow, but this was more like the pictures of space Sharla was always showing her when they were younger. It was _beautiful_.

“Remember, breathing is important.” Nick’s voice was amused but gentle as he helped nudge her the rest of the way into a sitting position, hooking an arm around her waist and resting his cheek against her hip. “If you pass out and fall off this thing, I’m going to be extremely annoyed at you.”

Judy made herself inhale, wiping her paw over suddenly damp eyes. “Oh, _Nick_.” She leaned sideways, eyes still on the scene in front of her as she wrapped an arm around Nick’s head and laid her cheek against his fur. “It’s _incredible_. _Thank_ you.”

“I hoped you’d like it,” he murmured, tightening his arm around her. “I used to come up here whenever I was in this part of the city late at night. Made me feel like….” He let the words trail off, then cleared his throat rather than finish the sentence. “Well, anyway. I haven’t ever brought anyone else up here.”

She looked away long enough to press a kiss against his fur, chest so full of emotion it felt like she could burst. Nick was a warm, solid weight against her, his breathing and heartbeat already as familiar a rhythm as her own. She didn’t have to see him clearly to know that he was everything that meant “home” to her.

As long as he was next to her, it turned out that she liked the dark much better than she’d thought.

“Thank you for bringing me,” she whispered again, laying her cheek back against his fur. “I’m so happy I get to share this with you.”

Emotion made his voice thick. “Any time, Carrots.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my new original fiction on my [blog](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)


End file.
